The Bleeding
by Blondemidget
Summary: In the time before Ash met Mary-Lynette. Quinn and Ash have a fight. Will Ash really give up his exotic lifestyle, and put his differences aside with Quinn? Or will Quinn be the first to crack?
1. Conflict

What comes around goes around. Or, that's what I thought.

"Ash, you complete retard. What are you doing?" I shot my cousin, Ash Redfern, with a disapproving look as I crouched down beside the brunette girl he was influencing. The presence of Power tinged the air.

Lips slightly open, blank stare into Ash's eyes and two puncture marks in the hollow of her throat, she sat on the floor, oblivious to the world. Ash was making obscene gestures in front of her face, while muttering rapidly under his breath. I caught the words; 'look into my eyes…'

Laughing, he looked up at me with sparkling green eyes.

"You should try this Quinn, it's so amusing" He bent over the girl, fangs elongating, eyes turning a silvery glow. I heard them pierce through the warm, delicate flesh of her neck. The smell of salty sweetness invaded my senses as I looked at the trickle of scarlet creeping down her collarbone. I ignored the hunger burning in my throat.

"Where did you get this one, this time? Not at the Black Iris surely. They don't allow vermin like her in there. Unless…" I trailed off, accepting the truth before the words were spoken.

Typical Ash.

"Unless what dear cousin?" He looked at me then, corners of his mouth smeared with blood, eyes still shining like moonlight. An expression of cocky amusement flashed across his face. I sighed and finished my sentence.

"Unless you lured her into your grasp, like the other humans." Like a spider spinning a web. A predators trap.

Ash threw back his head and roared with laughter, before holding the girl out before me, raising his eyebrows.

"Won't you have a taste? I can see it in your eyes; last time you fed was yesterday." His tone was softer now, persuading. "Give into the Hunger. You know you want to" His voice caressed each word.

I shook my head in disgust. He always tormented me like this, bit into the tender areas. I hated luring prey.

I like hunting.

The adrenaline, the surge of Power, the chase and the kill, were all part of my preference. I liked the feeling of my preys struggle before I bit into an artery, the fear my telepathy picked up on, and the pulsing of Power as it washed over me. I wasn't a softy like Ash. I made an effort to be the predator, at least. Using my telepathy, I made the link and thought:

_Stupid. Lazy. Vampire._

He blinked and burst into laughter again. I fumed silently.

"Stupid lazy vampire? I do love your comebacks Quinn. So twentieth century" still sniggering, he latched onto her neck again.

Feeling my anger, he looked at me with yellow eyes, like a hawk. I fisted my hands.

"Which reminds me, you're not exactly the prefect vampire yourself" He flashed me a kilowatt grin while I mulled over this. Seeing my hesitation he murmured on.

"Slave trading humans. Tut tut Quinn, you know this is illegal right? Of course you know. You were always up to trouble, seeking it out with that cold heart of yours. Ever since Dove was staked yo-"

With the force of a car crash, his body collided with the wall to his far right, rubble and debris exploding through the room. I stood there, breathing deeply, my eyes glittering a deadly silver. The surge of Power that erupted from my mind, quivered in the air waiting for my command, almost visible to the vampire eye. With my fangs retracted, I rounded on Ash's sprawled figure. His eyes fluttered open with a groan.

"If I had a stake right now, I would drive it through your worthless heart" I barely recognised the snarl that came from my direction. My hands were by my side like claws, ready to tear him limb from limb. I could feel the Power swirl around me, lifting my black hair around my shoulders and swaying my jacket.

The smell of blood was thick in the air once again. Ash stirred briefly, before sitting upright, covered in dust and blood. I could already see the deep gash on his forehead healing rapidly. The look he gave in my direction was almost funny. Shock. Anger. Embarrassment that I caught him off guard. Under different circumstances, I would have taken a picture.

"What the fuck Quinn!?" he yelled. Standing upright, he faced me, shoulders squared. I stood my ground.

"Wait till Hunter hears about this. What would he say, when he hears precious Quinn attacking his own flesh and blood?" His tone had adopted an obnoxious sneer to it, underneath the layers of anger. He wasn't the only on who was pissed. My anger was almost unbearable, flaring up as suddenly as fire. My vision clouded red, and my body began to tremble.

The sneer fell from his handsome face, replaced by a look of slight fear. I had never lost control like this before. Doves name hadn't been mentioned to me out loud for years.

I smirked at him, picking up a piece of sharp wood that had fallen from the wall.

I lunged.


	2. The Beasts

What happened next was all to confusing for my mind, filled with rage, to comprehend. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, timeless, stopped still like a dream. I had only one thought. To kill. To bare my fangs without hesitation, and to drive a wooden stake through Ash Redfern's heart.

Leaping through the air, stake positioned to enter his chest, I snarled like the inner animal inside of me. _He_ stood still, eyes wide with surprise and slight fear etched in his features. I almost halted in mid attack at the defenceless position Ash was in. The calmer part of my brain was yelling at me to stop, to drop the stake and to be rational. To be a good vampire.

I was not a good vampire.

Ash noticed my slight hesitation, and took his chance. His usual bad boy annoyance and confident swagger replaced fear. Swifter than lightening, he snatched the stake from my trembling fingers and shoved me up against the cracked wall, hand clenched around my throat, his own violet eyes emitting a silver glow. My response was a lopsided smile before I lifted my leg and catapulted him backwards, crashing him into the marble table that had toppled onto the girls still form. The smell of blood caressed the air, more than ever, as I crossed the room, tugging my Power along with my presence.

"Is this it then Quinn?" Spat Ash, jumping lightly to his feet, unblemished. I blinked slowly, absorbing his words. What was I doing?

"You dare mention _HER_ name to me. It's been two centuries since I heard her name…" Anger spurred me on, lending me unimaginable strength. I took a step forwards. Ash's growls made me stumble to a stop again, making me suddenly unsure of myself. He was quick, like a cat when he wanted to be, when he wasn't grooming his collection of pretty blond donors. Unwilling of course.

His eyes shone through the dimmed lights, daring me to take another step forwards, to take up the stake that had fallen to the floor in the second collision, and pierce it through his flesh. He dared silently. Observing.

"I never knew you were so touchy on that subject. If I knew you had that much of a temper on you, I wouldn't have said anything. But…" Ash trailed off, contemplating, his voice as smooth as still water. He flashed me another one of his famous smirks, showing all of his perfect teeth. My blood pressure increased. Good thing vampires cant have heart attacks.

Ash chuckled at that thought, watching me with turquoise eyes. It was like he was observing a caged animal in a zoo, amused as it paced backwards and forth, trapped, slowly building the will to fight back. My unusually calm voice pushed the anger deep down inside of me, until it was extinguished. I was in control, barely.

"Maybe you should console in Hunter? I'm sure he'll lick the salt out of your wounds for you." To risky, to adopt Ash's arrogant tone and attitude perfectly, and to throw it back in his face. I could already see the suppressed annoyance beneath the onyx of his eyes. I held my breath involuntarily, waiting for the explosion.

What shocked me, and would haunt me forever was his next move. He moved smoothly forward, more catlike than I had seen him before. Raising his hand he rested it on my shoulder. I could feel the shock flare in my eyes as my body went rigid underneath his touch. I bit the inside of my cheek.

'_Look, I didn't know you still_…_cared for her after all these years. I shouldn't have said anything. Please forget it'_ his telepathic voice sounded subdued, but near enough apologetic as Ash could get. I had never heard the word 'sorry' pass through those harsh lips. I shrugged from his touch. I didn't need to say anything for him to feel the hurt in my mind. I made my face frozen from all emotion, adopting a poker face.

Ash sighed and stepped back, wiping dried blood from his lips. Our eyes automatically found the brunette girl, splayed out underneath the chipped table. She really was pretty, but I didn't have to guess why he chose this one. He preferred dark, pale girls. Usually with green or blue eyes.

Me? I don't get involved. Humans were merely food, their only role on this dying planet. There was no one for me.

Only Dove.

I looked down at rubble beneath my shoes. My heart and throat throbbed at the thought of her beautiful physique, chestnut hair and alabaster skin. I could literally see those flirtatious emerald eyes, dancing playfully across the shattered mirror shards over the dust.

"What are we going to do with her?" I murmured, raking my eyes over her body, checking for her breathing. Just then, she moaned, eyes fluttering open, head turning from side to side. She found Ash, standing near the destroyed wall, covered in blood and dust. Before her eyes could cloud over with fear and confusion, before she took in my existence, I slipped easily through the door, not making a sound.

'_Thanks for not killing me today. I'll take things from here' _Ash's telepathic murmur was tinged with sarcasm. I waited in the derelict corridor of the Motel, hearing the girls whimpers and pleads. Before I smelt more blood, I walked towards the nearest exit. I answered Ash.

'_Don't bother killing her. I cant stand anymore today' _I felt Ash's bloodlust through his sharp mind, the need to quench his hunger. I also saw the girls profile through his senses, the look of helplessness, crumpled on the debris. She somehow looked familiar; like I had seen her before. I closed my eyes, and kept walking, hearing her scream choke off abruptedly. My chest tightened momentarily. Guilt. As her soul departed from this world, and her life force bled in the dirt, I walked into the luxurious night of Las Vegas. While I was groping in my jeans pocket for my Ray Bans, I could only think of one thing.

She had looked like my Dove.


End file.
